Sew
Shivnarine To Be HonoredBenefit Planned for Former Guyana and West Indies Test
Player

By John L. AaronAugust 1st, 2008According
to the King James’ version of the Holy Bible, Jesus is quoted
as saying “A prophet is not without honor, save in his own country,
and in his own house.” Well, part of that biblical quotation
may very well apply to former Guyana and West Indies Test cricketer
Sew Shivnarine, who is being honored by some of his supporters - 9
CThe friends of Shiv Committee.”

Sew
Shivnarine in nets with New York Under-15 team.

The
committee comprises several cricket enthusiasts and close friends
of Sew Shivnaraine in New York City. Though born and reared in Guyana,
where he honed his early cricketing skills, making the West Indies
team – a dream of many youngsters, Shiv is now a resident of
New York and far from his country, but within the house of friends,
who are delighted to honor the man some simply call Jack.

Sewdatt Shivnarine was born at Albion, Berbice
in Guyana and made his test debut for the West Indies under the captaincy
of Alvin Kallicharran, at Georgetown, Guyana and against Australia
in 1978, at the age of 25. The right-handed batsman and left-arm orthodox
bowler went on to play seven more tests for the West Indies with a
batting average of just over 29 runs. Shiv’s test debut saw
him scoring 53 (10x4s) off 118 balls, before being caught off the
bowling of Jeff Thompson. He was the second highest scorer in that
test behind opener Alvin Greenidge, 56. The next highest scorers in
that first inning came from the bats of Deryck Murray and Derick Parry,
each with 21 runs apiece. Such was the fiery effect of the Australian
bowling attack of Lillie and Thompson. Shivnarine would go on to score
63 (7x4s) off 147 deliveries in the second innings of that Test match,
behind centuries from Basil Williams, 100 and Larry Gomes, 101.

The dark-skinned youngster Shiv had made an
impressive debut and would go on to represent the West Indies in seven
more test matches during the next year, the last in February 1979
at Kanpur, India, and against the likes of Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar,
Bhagwat Chandrasekhar, Srinivas Venkataraghavan, Gundappa Viswanath,
and Kapil Dev.

Some of Sew Shivnarine’s other West Indies
contemporaries were Vanburn Holder, Malcolm Marshall, Alvin Kallicharran,
Rafick Jumadeen, Norbert Phillip, Irvine Shillingford, and Sylvester
Clarke. Shivnarine has played 78 first-class matches with an average
of 32.56, while bagging 67 first-class wickets averaging 32.56 per
wicket.

The middle-order batsman was a very good utility
player, much admired by his fellow Guyanese and Caribbean nationals,
along with several of his international peers around the world, despite
playing all eight Test matches only against Australia and India.

Shivnarine
migrated to the United States, after some disappointing political
episodes within the body-politic of Guyanese and West Indies cricket
circles. Having made his entry into Test cricket after six West Indies
players refused to represent the West Indies in 1978, Shiv grabbed
the opportunity and went on to make a significant contribution to
Guyana and West Indies cricket. He later became a resident of the
United States, where he continued to play the game he loves, while
working at then Chemical Bank. He would go on to captain the US national
team for some ten years, before turning the captaincy over to another
outstanding Guyanese player – Zamin Amin. Shivnarine’s
exploits as a journeyman cricketer, sans the cheering crowds of Bourda,
Kingston, Kolkata and New Delhi.

Shivnarine continued to play club cricket in
the cricket-rich New York area, captaining clubs such as Vikings and
Golden Arrow in the Eastern American Cricket Association league, and
only recently has reduced his on field appearances, preferring to
focus on helping New York’s cricketing youngsters, while serving
as coach and/or manager of teams within the league and the New York
tri-state area.

There
is no greater honor than that which is bestowed upon one by one’s
peers and stakeholders of the sport, because it is those who understand
the passion, the pain, the sacrifice, the desire to give back more
than to receive. Thus Sew Shivnarine being honored by “The Friends
of Shiv Committee,” is indeed an honor way beyond the coastline
of the South American nation of Guyana. An honor befitting a hero
of the sport within the enclaves of the Caribbean Diaspora and the
New York cricketing community.

The “Committee” has organized a
Benefit Dinner in honor of Shiv on Friday, August 15, 2008 at 8:00
pm at Chateau Royale, 111th Street and Atlantic Avenue, Richmond Hill.
The suggested minimum donation is $50 per person and includes a sumptuous
dinner and dancing.